The L.A. Times music blog

Phil Collins fully intends to quit music –- just not for the reasons people may think.

After a barrage of headlines reporting his motivations for quitting -- some said it was the result of bad reviews, feeling unloved by fans and poor treatment by the press -- the British singer, drummer and actor took to his official website to clear the air.

Writing that he felt the media were painting "a picture of me that is more than a little distorted," the 60-year-old said he was most confused that his retirement was such a major story, since he hadn’t “spoken to anybody in the press for a few months.”

Collins broke down his reasons for walking away from his more than four decade career, which includes multiplatinum success both as a solo artist and with Genesis, Grammy awards and an Academy Award for his music in the film "Tarzan."

“I'm not stopping because of dodgy reviews or bad treatment in the press. I'm not stopping because I don't feel loved; I know I still have a very large fan base that loves what I do. Thank you,” he listed in his letter. “I'm not stopping because I don't fit in, this was proved with "Going Back" reaching No. 1 in the U.K., and doing incredibly well worldwide. I'm not stopping so I can dive full time into my interest for the Alamo.”

His main intention for hanging it all up? To be full-time father to his two young sons on a daily basis.

Whether or not Collins ever sets foot onstage again is to be determined -- he's certainly not the first artist to announce his retirement, and nothing gets the public's attenion like a well-timed comeback. But in case he is serious, we salute him, and offer up this writer's favorite Collins track of all time.